The World Bank raised its growth forecast for the Middle East and North Africa region to 2.8% in 2025 and 3.4% in 2026, up from 2.7% and 3.3%, respectively, in its June projections, and up from 2.3% in 2024.
The bank expects economic activity in GCC countries to benefit from a voluntary, gradual reduction in oil production, as well as non-oil growth, reaching a growth rate of 3.5% in 2025 (up from 2.2% in 2024).
For developing oil-importing countries, growth is expected to rise from 2.2% in 2024 to 3.7% in 2025. For developing oil-exporting countries, growth is expected to fall sharply from 2.5% in 2024 to 0.5% in 2025, mainly due to conflict disruptions and adjustments in oil production.